Lo Mai Gai
Description Lotus leaf wraps * Serves 8 Ingredients * 4 lotus leaves, cut in half * 1¼ cups glutinous rice (sticky rice) * 4 Chinese dried black mushrooms * 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, 6 ounces * ¼ teaspoon salt * 1 tablespoon rice wine * 1 teaspoon cornstarch * 2 Chinese sausages (lop cheong) * 1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped * 1 tablespoon Chinese or Japanese rice wine * 1 tablespoon light soy sauce * 1 teaspoons dark soy sauce * 1½ teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water * 2 tablespoons vegetable oil for stir-frying, or as needed * ¼ teaspoon sesame oil * freshly ground black or white pepper, to taste Directions # One hour ahead of time, prepare the rice and lotus leaves: soak the lotus leaves in hot water for 1 hour. # Pat dry. # Cover the rice with water and let soak for 1 hour. # Drain. # Next, steam the rice. # Line a bamboo steamer with parchment paper or cabbage leaf. # Fill a wok approximately to the half-way point with water so that the steamer will be sitting above the water without touching. # Bring the water to a boil cover the rice and steam for about 20 minutes. # Remove the rice, cover and keep warm while preparing the remainder of the ingredients. # Soften the dried mushrooms by soaking in hot water for 20 to 30 minutes. # Squeeze out any excess water, remove the stems and finely chop. # Cut the chicken into small cubes about the size of a postage stamp. # Add the salt, 1 tablespoon rice wine and 1 teaspoon cornstarch. # Marinate the chicken for 20 minutes. # Finely chop the sausages. # Peel and chop the garlic. # In a small bowl, combine the rice wine, light soy and dark soy sauce. # In a separate small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the water, and whisk into the sauce. # Heat a wok and add 2 tablespoons oil. # When the oil is hot, add the garlic and stir-fry until aromatic (about 30 seconds). # Add the chicken cubes. # Stir-fry until they turn white and are 80 percent cooked through. # Add the sausages and the mushrooms. # Stir-fry for a minute. # Give the sauce mixture a quick re-stir then add in the middle, stirring quickly to thicken. # Season with pepper, to taste. # Cook for 1 to 2 more minutes to mix everything together and heat through. # Remove from the heat and stir in the sesame oil. # Cool. # To make the wraps, separate the rice and the filling into 8 equal sections, 1 section for each wrap. # Lay out a lotus leaf in front of you. # Place a portion of the rice mixture into the center of a lotus leaf. # Add the meat and vegetable mixture over top, shaping the rice with your hands so that it forms a ring around the filling. # Add more rice to cover. # Form a square parcel with the lotus leaf and tie it up with twine. # Repeat with the remaining lotus leaves. # Steam the lotus leaf parcels, covered, on a heatproof plate in a bamboo steamer for 15 minutes, or until they are done. Category:American Chinese Meat Dishes Category:American Chinese Snacks Category:Glutinous rice Recipes Category:Sesame oil Recipes Category:Sake Recipes Category:Rice wine Recipes Category:Shiitake mushroom Recipes Category:Chicken breast Recipes Category:Sausage Recipes Category:Recipes that need photos